Stalk-chopper.



Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

0. P. SCOTT.

STALK CHOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAILIG, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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Specification of Lettershtent. Appllcatioirflled Hal-oh 18,1912. Serial no. 884,284.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR F. So o'rr,. a citizen of the United States, resldmg at Gainesville, in the county of. Cooke and stalk choppers of the vertical type employmg horizontally disposed cutters.

One object of the invention is to construct the machine in such manner that it will operate to cut stalks close to the ound and to simultaneously out each sta k into a number of pieces;

A further object is to so construct the machine that the frame carrying the cutter shafts can be tilted forwardly or backwardly. v

A further object to provide. means for raising and lowering the cutting mechanism to permit the same to be adjusted in a manner to ride over more or less elevated portions of the ound.

With these an other ob. ts in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinationsof parts as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims. i 1 In the. accompanying drawin Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mac 7 e; Fig. 2 is a partial front. elevation, partly in section, and Figs. 3,4 and 5 are detail views.

.1 represents an axle provided at its ends with suitable journals mounted in the hubs of carrying wheels 3,. 3. A horizontally disposed frame 4, having a general U-shape,-is

mounted upon the axle and extends both rearwardl and forwardly therefrom,--the side mem rs of this frame constituting uides for stalks to the cutter mechanism ereinafter described. Arms 5 project downwardly and somewhat forwardly from theaxle near the respective ends thereof and with these arms the ends of a U-shaped bail 6 are pivotally and adjustably connected. Standards 7 7, are secured at their lower ends to the cross-bar 8 of the bail 6 andtothe upper ends of said standards, a cross-bar 9 is secured. The standards 7 and the cross-bars 8-9 constitute a vertical rectangular frame in which the cutting mechanism is mounted, as will now .be ex" lained. Conical bearing cups 10 are secure to the cross-bar 8 of bail 6 for the accommodation of conical 1ournalsl1 at the lower ends of Patented Sept. 24, 1912.'

two vertical shafts l2,-the body portions of said shafts being made-angular in crosssection. The upper end of each shaft 12 isprovided with a threaded shank 13 which passes upwardly through an opening in the tsp cross-bar 9 of the vertical frame. -A plur Ity of superimposed cutting disks 14 will be, secured to'each shaft 12 by meansof sleeves 1 5,-the disks being confined between ad a'cent ends of said sleeves and the lower end of the lower sleeve on each shaft,

has a bearing on the lowercutting disk, the latter resting upon a collar '16 near the lower end of the shaft. The cutting disks have toothed peripheral portions and the disks on one shaft slightly overlap those on the other shaft. Gears 1718 are secured to. the threaded shanks at the upper ends of the respective shafts 12 and are provided in their under faces with :race-wa s or grooves for anti-friction balls 19,-'sai balls having hearings in suitable bearing boxes.

20., mounted upon the upper cross-bar 9 of the vertical frame. These ball bearing devices serveto sustain the major part of the weight of the vertical shafts, cutting disks, and spacing sleeves. To protect the gears 17--18, a guard 21 is secured to the up er portion of the frame.

e cross-bar 9 of; the vertical frame is provided atits ends with upwardly pro- Jecting brackets 22, in which the end ortions of a shaft23 are mounted. This sliaft 1s provided between its ends with a bevel pinion. 24 which meshes with and transmits motion to a bevel pinion 25 secured to the upper end of one of the vertical cutter shafts. It is apparent that when the shaft 23 is rotated, motion will be transmitted to both of the cutter shafts to rotate the latter in reverse directions to operate the cutting disks. The sleeves 15 (or any desired mim planes of the cutting edges of said disks. From this construction it will be seen that when the machine is moved forwardly and motion transmitted to the cutting disks, the

I stalks will be guided or directed to the cut- .ber of them) are PIOVldGd with lugs 26h) f The ting disks by the vzontal frame 4 and will'be engaged by the This tightener may conveniently conslst of a pivoted arm 31 provided at the other end to side members of the horirotating fingers 26' to properly press said talks against the cutting disks Where said disks overlap.

. In order to transmit motion to the shaft 23, a sprocket wheel 28 is mounted to rotate with one of the carrying wheels 3 and a sprocket chain 29 passingover this s rocket wheel, also passes over a sprocket 'w eel 30 secured to the shaft 23. The sprocket chain 29 is'made of considerable length so as to nected wanna upper portion of the vertical with the crossbar cutter frame (preferabl rods '36,-the con- .9 thereof) by means 0 nections of-said rods. with the bell-crank levers being adjustable. Theupwardly projecting arms of said bell-crank levers are zconnect'ed, by means of chains 37 with the U-shape suitable wheels 38 mounted on the side members of the horizontal frame 4:. To the shaft 34,";1 hand lever 39 is securedand this hand g of the cutter frame.

lever is provided with a suitable detent to engage a toothed segment on the framework. Byoperating lifting movement will be imparted by the chains 37 to the bail 6 and hence to the lower end of the vertical cutter frame. By the same movement of the lever 39, lifting movement will be imparted through the bell-cranks and the rods 36 to'the upper end cutter frame with the cutting mechanism can be raised to accommodate the contour of the groundove'r which the machine may be operated. By lengthening or shortenin justing the distances between the bell-cranks an the upper end of the cutter frame by .ad-

the connections of the rods 36, the cutter frame may be caused to rise vertically or to tilt forwardly or backwardly somewhat when it is raised and thus the angularity of the cutting mechanism withv relation to the stalks to be out can be adjusted. It is a-pparentthat with the use of the spring pressed chain tightener before described, the vertical adjustment of the cutter frame can be readily effected.

Draft arms 40 projectoutwardly from the side members of the horizontal frame 4: and

'moves forwardly,

horizontal frame 4 and supports a drivers bail v6, said chains passing over disks, and manuall operable devices mountthe-lever 39 in one direction In this manner thethe free ends of said draft arms are connected bymeans of chains 41 with said frame 4. To the outer end of each draft arm a swingle-tree 42 is connected. In order to prevent the draft animals from being unduly threshed by the stalks as the machine a guard 43 will be secured transversely across the forward ends of the side members of thehorizontal frame 4. A

standard His secured to the rear end of the seat 45. A guard 46 is secured upon the top of the vertical cutter frame and extendsover the gearlng so as to prevent conflict with the latter by the driving reins. Shields 47 are secured to the side members of the horizontal frame 4: and serve to assist in directing the stalks to the cutting mechanism and to prevent the stalks engaging the draft animals.

Slightchanges might be made in the de-. tails of construction of my invention with out departing from, the spirit thereof or limiting the scope, and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth. I Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettens-Patent, is:

"1. In a stalk chopper, the combination with a wheeled frame, and a pivotedbail, of an upright frame mounted on the pivoted bail, a plurality of pairs of cutting disks mounted in said upright frame, one pair above another, means for operating said ed on the wheeled lame and connected with said'pivotedbail for causing the-latter to swing'and raise or lower said upright frame.

2. In a stalk chopper, the combination with a wheeled frame, and a pivoted bail, of an upright frame mounted on the pivoted bail, shafts mounted in said upright frame and carry ng superimposed pairs of cutters,

gearing between said shafts and a wheel of the wheeled frame for operating said outters, and manually I operable devices mounted on'the wheeled frame and connected with v the bail for causing the latter to swing to" raise or lower the upright frameand thecutters therein.

In a stalk chopper, the combination 'with'a wheeled frame, of a pivoted'bail, a vertical frame connected at its lower end with said bail, means for adjustably sup-' 12G portmg the upper ends of said frame, cutting mechanism carried by the, vertical frame, and hand operated devices mounted on the wheeled frame and connected with said bail for raising the vertical frame and the cutting mechanism carried thereby.

4. In a stalk chopper, the combination with a wheeled frame, of a pivoted bail, a. vertical frame connected at its lower end with said bail, a shaft mounted on the horieach shaft for the lower sleeve, gears secured to the upper ends of said shafts above the top bar of the vertical frame, roller bearings between said gears and the top bar of the vertical frame, and gearin connected with one of the wheels of the w eeled frame for operating said gears.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR FRANKLIN SCOTT. Witnesses:

F. MoRRIs, J r., A. W. SMITH. 

